A Ross Township woman says "good morning" to a man while walking her dogs. Minutes later, she goes home and starts to shut the door, but a hand holding a gun is in the way.
Inside: Testimony continues at suspect's hearing

A Hill District home is surrounded early Thursday morning, and a suspect in two recent rapes at Ross Township apartment complexes is found inside. The criminal complaint has details of what the women told police.

Arthur Lamont Henderson, 39, is exercising his right to act as his own attorney and defend himself against charges that he raped two women in Ross Township and a third in Hopewell Township last year. By doing so, he is allowed to have interaction with the alleged victims. He has been referring to himself in the first person in court.

The victim testified she was living there with her husband, who was her fiance at the time, and their 4-month-old daughter. She told the jury she woke up around 6 a.m., went outside with her dog, came back inside and walked upstairs to find her fiance bound and face-down on the floor. She said Henderson came up behind her with a gun and ordered the couple to hand over a few hundred dollars in cash.

She testified Henderson took her into her baby's room, ordered her to remove her clothes and raped her in front of her child, breaking down into tears several times on the stand.

She told the jury that Henderson said, "If you don't do everything I say, I'm going to kill your fiance. Let's just get this over with." Afterward, he ordered her to hand over her engagement ring and threatened to come back and kill them if they didn't wait before calling police, she said.

This is the second day of testimony. Just before the jury was ushered into the courtroom Tuesday, Henderson said he would represent himself. Judge Donna Jo McDaniel offered him an opportunity to change his mind but he stuck with his decision. McDaniel allows his cuffs to be removed but orders him to stay seated while he questions the women.

That was the case with the first alleged victim, who recalled the incident in her Hopewell Township townhouse last winter. Assistant District Attorney Laura Ditka told the jury Henderson followed the woman home from Rivers Casino. The victim said her attacker wore a mask during the incident, held a gun to her head and raped her in her bedroom while two teenagers slept downstairs. She told the jurors she pleaded with her attacker not to harm her, saying, "Don't do this to me, don't do this to me."

Ditka told the jury that the victims' lives were "shattered by the selfish, despicable acts of Arthur Henderson," who denies raping anyone.

"Ms. Ditka is accusing me of brutal crimes I did not commit," Henderson told they jury. "I am innocent until proven guilty. Please understand my life is on the line."

Henderson faces more than 50 charges that include rape, sex assault, and robbery. McDaniel has ordered him to remain seated as he questions his accusers.